The cheap ScotRail ticket axed when peak rail fares were scrapped by SNP Government this week

Super off peak day returns were used on 125,000 journeys in 2024-25, but have been removed because the Scottish Government-owned train operator said travellers now benefited from “great value fares all day”.

The tickets were valid after 11am on weekdays, but could not be used from several major stations from 3-8pm: Edinburgh Waverley, Haymarket, Glasgow Central, Glasgow Queen Street, Aberdeen and Inverness,

One Fife passenger said: “The Dunfermline to Edinburgh super off peak return was costing me £6.80, but I can now only buy a regular off peak return at £8.50, so paying £1.70 more.

“I know others who were taking advantage of these little-publicised tickets. They were hidden away on the ScotRail website and a lots of staff were puzzled when you asked for one.”

ScotRail said the fares accounted for just 0.1 per cent of tickets sold and passengers said they were tricky to use.

Commercial director Claire Dickie said: “We got a lot of feedback about how confusing and difficult it was to use [the ticket] with the restrictions that were there.

“Customers were trying to travel on services they weren’t eligible to, so there’ll be a chunk of those people who didn’t buy it again after that because it wasn’t the right ticket for them.”

The UK-first ending of peak fares is expected to cost £28 million in the first year and eventually become self financing. However, savings vary between between nearly 50 per cent between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and 20 per cent between Inverurie and Aberdeen.

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ScotRail chief operating officer David Ross added: “The removal of peak fares is fantastic news for customers and we hope to see many more people choose to travel with ScotRail.

“Under the changes, season ticket holders will continue to save at least 5 per cent compared with the cost of buying daily return tickets.

“Flexipass users [six return journeys usable within 60 days] will also benefit from a minimum 5 per cent saving versus buying six daily returns, giving more choice and flexibility for people who don’t travel every day.”